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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 






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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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audes 
\^irtutis. '' 




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REV. J. P. CAREY. 




NEW YORK 
D. APPLETOX A: CO., 5 BOND ^JTCTTT^ 
1881. 



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Copyright, 1881, by 
REV. J. P. CAREY. 




Bebication. 



TO 

THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, 

WHOSE MAGNANIMOUS APPRECIATION OF EVERY ESSAY 

AT LITERATURE 

IS ADMIRABLY EVINCED BY THE EVER-INCREASING VOLUME 

OF DOMESTIC PUBLICATIONS, 

THESE POEMS, 

WITH WHATEVER OF MERIT THEY CONTAIN, 

ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 

BY 

THE AUTHOR. 





PAGft 

Laudes Virtutis 7 

A Christmas Legend, . . . . . . .31 

Acrostic — Jesus Christ, 42 

The Golden Jubilee, 43 

A Metrical Rendition of the Canticle of the 

Three Children, 48 

Supplication — Let not, O Lord! . . . .51 

Thanksgiving Day : An Ode, 53 

Saint Francis, 57 

We praise Thy Name, Jehovah, 59 

3 




PAGE 

Thou Spirit, Lord 6i 

Thy Grace, great Lord, . . . . . .63 

Ave, Maria, 65 

Acrostic — Holy Ghost, ...... 68 

A Prayer, 69 

Saint Patrick's Day 71 

Robert Emmet 75 

Awake to Manhood, Sons of Erin 77 

Inisfail, 79 

To A Religieuse, 81 

Remember Thee, 82 

In Memoriam, 84 

Soliloquy, 91 

Hallow Eve, 93 

Music Sweet, . 95 

Vanitas Vanitatum . 97 

Resignation, 99 

A Land of Song loi 

A Plea for the Dead, . . . . . . . 103 

Though Sorrow doth Thy Day becloud, . . 105 





CONTENTS. 5 

PAGE 

Freedom's Birth, 107 

Ode to Temperance, iii 

Lines on Autumn, 115 

Life, 117 

Oh ! Blush for Shame, 118 

Lines written during a Storm at Sea, ... . . 121 

Reminiscence, 123 

Hymeneal, 125 

Centennial Ode — America, . . . . . .127 

Though Youth adorns, 132 

Pray, tell Me, do Affections meet ? . . .135 

The Fourth of July, 137 

Rejoicing now, let's Anchor weigh, . . . 139 

Apotheosis, 141 

The Gap of Dunloe, , 145 

Let Fortune woo, 148 

The O'Connell Centenary — Lines, . . . .150 

To the Ocean, 153 

Centennial Ode— Alleluia, 155 

The Drunkard's Repentance, 159 



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W 




LaUDES VlRTUTIS, 



AND OTHER POEMS, 






TNG, heavenly Muse, with wonted 
"'^^^^ power * 

:^ Thy inspiration's worthiest theme — 
The peace, the joy, the bhss supreme 
That make up Virtue's regal dower. 

Hail ! solace of a desolate world. 

Sufficing balm for every woe, 

The panacea for ills below 
Where Sorrow hath her badge unfurled. 




k 



LA U DBS VIRTUTIS. 

Sweet Consolation owes to thee 
Whatever bhss the heart holds dear, 
Whatever pulse, disowning fear, 

Beats placid with tranquillity. 

When lowers the sky in dark travail, 
And, livid as the lightning's glare, 
Appears in view the ghoul Despair 

Thy star invites as beacon-hail. 

No phantom hope is that fond gleam 
Whose vista opes the golden bourne 
Where happy most who most do mourn, 

And life 's no more an exile dream ; 

Whose light more biighteninge'er doth shine 
Where murkiest clouds infest the night, 
And Faith maintains victorious fight 

Till crowned with vision all divine. 

. II. 

Religion owns thee as her friend — 
Her dowered friend of high degree — 
Allied to Truth, first mystery, 

Th' Almighty Father without end, 





^■^^L 



LAUDES VIRTUTIS. 



Who by His grace enricheth well, 
Delivering from the thousand snares 
Which cross our path and, unawares, 

Within our hearts as gnaw-worms dwell. 

O V'irtue fair, whose radiant mien 
Doth fill Hyperion s golden horn, 
When looms in view the fragrant morn 

We choose thee of our souls the queen, 

Whose incense wings its flight alone 
\ Where Gratitudes more fervid strains 

Attest Jehovah's righteous claims 
In meek Thanksgiving's solemn tone. 

III. 

» 
What can excel thy merit's prize ? 

A hundredfold of temporal gain, 

Eternal tide of blissful reign, 

Thy royalty of sacrifice ! 

In vain doth Victory's lustrous star 
Enrich the sheen of warrior's crest ; 
A brighter gem, and far more bless'd. 

Art thou, the arbitress 6f war. 




LAUDES VIRTUTIS. 



Far dearer thy expiring ray, 
The sunset gleam of hberty, 
Than pageant ponip with slavery 

Which makes the vassal's golden day. 

Tho' vanquished, still thou livest on, 
Thy patience weaving merit's crown 
Eternal as thy fame's renown, 

Thy seeming victors serfs become. 

What earth can give doth soon decay, 
Unless thy spirit breathe within 
And free the soul from blight of sin, 

Enduing with perennial sway. 

Thine is the bloom of holy •youth, 
Resplendent gleams thy virgin brow, 
Handmaid of God, thou seem'st to glow 

With His eternal wisdoms truth. 

IV. 

Tis only thou who canst outlive 
The barren homage of the great, 
The pride and pomp of mundane state, 

With all the honors these can give. 



•EL 



.3- 



Who dares but symbols all employ, — 
Heraldic trappings of an hour, 
The lures of ill-begotten power, — 

As baser metals for alloy ? 

And yet methinks these are excused, 
While use approves the social mark, 
As men agree that dogs may bark 

Lest they betimes fall out misused. 

For aught beside they are but dross, 
And, like the vermin that survives 
Within the bowels of him who dies, 

They thrive upon the common loss. 

But Virtue hath no selfish aim 
To blazon forth, save as the queen 
Of love without, of bliss within, 

She reigns the universal gain, 

The labarum of those who strive 
For victory in the gracious name 
That frees the world from sin and shame. 

That frees the heart and makes it live. 



^! 




LAUDES VIRTUTIS. 



V. 

But lift the veil, and let us see 

What hidden beauty blooms beyond 
The golden horizon, that bounds 

The vision of true liberty ; — 

Where angels sing for evermore, 

Despite rare knowledge, still confess 
They e'er their nothingness, and bless 

The sovereign mercy to adore. 

While cherubim with wing abase 
Their vision of the ftoly One, — 
Unworthy their trisagion 

To herald forth due meed of praise. 

So praise we, too, but not in word, 
For words becloud the flooding light 
Where Adoration looms in sight 

To glorify the sovereign Lord. 

Thy vision, Lord, we know 's confined 
To Thy dread Self and such alone 
As worship 'round Thy gracious throne. 

Where infinite Thou art enshrined; 





LAUDES VIRTUTIS, 



n 



Whose love assumes meek Virtue's form, 
Responsive to the needs of man, 
Who looked for help, but looked in vain 

Till sunburst rove the wrecking storm ; 

And Sin gave up in sullen mood 

The long inheritance of Death, 

And Life reclaimed thro' conquering Faith 
Full victory o'er Perdition's brood, 

And Hope emerged, refulgent star, 
The Orient of life's festive day, 
The beacon whose accepted ray 

Dispels all darkness near and far. 

VI. 

This be the Hope which in us dwells, 
That buoys within the soul's distress, 
And leavens all our loneliness 

When Grief the plaint of Anguish knells ; 

Where'er Devotion's brightening tear 
Doth soothe our nature's pangs that dart 
Their crucifixion through the heart 

Around Affection's altar bier, 



►E. 





LAUDES VIRTUTIS. 

Uniting ties so rudely torn, 

As angel smote the stifling gloom 
Which brooded 'round the Saviour's tomb 

On Resurrection's glorious morn ; 

When Gratitude meet homage paid 
To Him whose virtue, thus confessed, 
Hath made our hope for ever blessed, 

And makes us rich in mercy's aid. 

As faithful we, with souls as pure, 

To join our thanks ; let jubilee 

Dilate all hearts with ecstasy, 
That love and bliss may like endure. 



VII. 

But it lies hidden in a maze. 

This power of new-begotten life, 
And men award to lawless strife 

The tribute due to grateful praise. 

How oft bereaved affection's home, 

Where mother's love but wakes to sighs, 
And slumbering, raves in elegies 

The wantonness of ingrate son ! 





\ 



: 



LAUDES VIRTUTIS, 

A fathers sanguine nature glad 
As with light quips he used to toy 
And proudly stroke his darling boy,— 

But now, unmanned, he is quite mad ; 

And sisters' weal their woe become, 
What sorrow dims Hope's radiant eye ! 
What soul awakes that piercing cry ? 

Despairing shriek of ruined home ! 

'Tis thus that Youth's sad folly rears 
Destruction in his headlong course, 
And wastes the waters at their source 

Which should have made the fruitful years. 

VIII. 

Or does there seem some greater need 
Of guarantee at manhood's tide ? 
Lest faithlessness quite override 

The fruitage in its harvest seed — 

Some kernel of a golden clime, 
Fecund of holier progeny. 
More cognate with deep mystery. 

Designed for a diviner time — 



►EL 



-l^ 




i6 



LAUDES VIRTU TIS. 




When angels might not sing in vain, 
Nor vain be seen the Deity, 
But Nature's chant of harmony- 
Had still rejoiced the grateful reign, 

And Earth and Heaven's commingling strain 
Inspired such transports pure and free, 
That, blended in joint symphony, 

No heart but felt the kin refrain. 



IX. 

And yet, methinks, 'twere strange divide 
Where love nor grief knew passion's tear ; 
What heroes were there to revere 

If all were bliss and naught beside ? 

How dear to Sion the sacred tears 
Of captive sons on Babylon's shore ! 
The grandest trophy of her store — 

The tribute of those exile years. 

As dear to her the least refrain 

Whence Memory sighs her plaintive lays. 
As royal strain of anthem-praise, 

Proclaiming 'loud her glory's reign. 





LAUDES VIRTUTIS. I J 



Enough that man received of yore 
Divinest reason to excel, 
With grace to do each action well, 

And so augment his merit's store ; 

That not one soul implores in vain 

The benison of saintly prize ; 

That not one thought of sacrifice 
But merits everlasting gain. 

When Desolation smites the heart 
'Tis Mercy sways the chastening rod ; 
When true Compunction points to God, 

Tis through His Spirit's flaming dart. 

X. 

Let meek Repentance tribute find, 
And glory crown her valiant mien. 
That, risen from the grave of sin, 

She lives renewed in heart and mind. 

Her spirit knows not envy's scorn ; 
Whatever will her steps beguiled, 
Whatever taint her soul defiled, 

Regen'rate now her faith 's new-born. 



►^. 



..3- 



Aside, is seen the conscious tear 

Which sorrow taught to flow at will, 
And, like the dew's refreshing rill 

Which drought hath rendered doubly dear, 




LAUDES VIRTU TIS. 



^ 



The parching winds of apathy 
Invite the flow as welcome grace, 
Where men most struggle to deface 

The fruit of God's bless'd sympathy. 

Unlike the world doth Christ reprove 

But such as persevere in sin. 

And seeks the more />^^2>. souls to win, 
Meet trophies of his mighty love. 

XI. 

Oh ! be our lives conformed to His, 
The Shepherd of the faithful fold. 
Whose meekness, of divinest mould, 

Exemplifies such gentleness. 

The bruised reed He does not break, 
He guerdons for the smoking flax ; 
Nor knows his Spirit to relax 

Like kind exertions for our sake. 





LAUDES VIR7UTIS. 



Thou Advocate before the throne 

Outpouring prayers with deaf ning cry, 
As quickened death on Calvary, 

Responsive to each searching tone. 

So plead for us that, at thy voice 
Within our hearts, we may fulfil 
Thy high behests, our Father's will. 

And find it e'er our paradise. 

Be thou our brother, saviour, king, 
That no transgression may efface 
The covenant of saving grace 

That robs of Death his dreaded sting. 

Unfailing source of sympathy, 

Where proud Disdain, with cynic sneer. 
Embitters more misfortune's tear. 

Thou heed'st the plaint of misery. 



XIL 



If Virtue e'er hath power confessed, 
Oh ! may it be when callous Pride 
Disdains to stem temptation's tide 

Within the penitential breast. 




That not one tear be vainly shed 

Whence Grace, from her celestial bovvers, 
Would fain recall the guileless hours 

Ere life's best hopes were visions fled. 

The rain which tides the floods of spring 
Still showers its blessings in the fall ; 
The sun, which gives his light to all, 

Are types of holier offering : 

The aid divine so bounteous given 
To tranquillize the troubled heart, 
To heal with balm each wounded part, 

Attracting man to hope and heaven. 

O'er ev'ry land are genial skies, 
Inviting to the tranquil shore 
Of bliss more perfect than before, 

The soul athirst for Virtue's prize. 

And shall the dew of grace be sent 
In vain to hearts whose sore distress 
Hath greater need of tenderness 

To make Despair his hold relent? 





LAUDES VIRTU TIS. 



21 



For this He came, the Sinless One, 
To seek the sheep without the fold, 
To woo it with a love untold, 

And make the lost one e'er His own. 

XIII. 

'Tis not of Virtue to despise 

The yearnings of the stricken breast, 
For these pure longings for God's rest 

Are fraught with love and sacrifice. 

If man 's redeemed let love prevail, 

For love 's redemption's crowning boon, 
Like the silv'ry radiance of the moon, 

Whose lustre falls on hill and vale. 

But Spite invades the sacred shrine 

Where Virtue blooms with peace and love, 
And, like the lightning from above, 

Which smites and fells the stately pine, 

It fills with gall the gaping wound. 
It goads with venom -barbed words, 
It rends affection's tenderest cords, 

It strangles brethren on the ground. 





^^ ^ m^-^ 



LAUDES VIRTU TIS, 



4^. 




And this is deemed a boon to cheer 
Where Virtue should protection find, 
Entrenched within the prudent mind, 

Enshrined with rev'rence to endear ; 

As when a friend gainsays withal, 
The confidence at first inspired, 
Whose fi-iendship, once by all desired, 

Dishonored lies, ambition's thrall. 

XIV. 

But zeal inflames, nor yet consumes; 
It lights within the ardent fires 
Of faith's ennobling mysteries. 

Whose glow is not mephitic fumes. 

To disesteem the equipoise 
Of Mercy in the scale of right, 
Where Love and Justice close unite, 

Is not humane nor saintly wise. 

For Mercy ever kindly wrought, 
No soul but once her power awoke 
T' avert the dire avenging stroke 

Of disaffection from the heart. 




LAUDES VIRTU TIS. 



For man is cast in godly mould, 
To Him so like in heart and mind 
Who is eternal love divined 

In all His works so manifold ; 

Save that he hardly seemeth ripe 

Where love discerns, but yields apace 
To ev'ry selfish commonplace 

That contradicts his prototype. 

The slave of sensuous passion's power, 
He disregards high Mercy's call. 
Nor once adverts what may befall 

His sov'reign weal in one brief hour. 



23 



XV. 

Whatever law there is ordained 

To guard our steps 'gainst lurking snare. 
To nerve our will 'gainst mad despair. 

Has been by bounteous mercy framed. 

For passion balks man's freeborn course; 
Left unrestrained by sober rein, 
It vents its vehemence in vain. 

And finds destruction at its source. 





LAUDES VIRTU TIS. 



V 



How else explain the quick decline 

Of Rome's proud eagle from the height 
Where, perched with Fame, his talons might 

Defy for aye the storming brine, 

Had not Ambition's soaring wing, 
With fell Corruption following near, 
Usurped control of loyal Fear 

And then imbued the fatal sting? 

As well for empires in their prime, 
'Tis Virtue crowns each high renown 
Of private glory that comes down. 

Increasing with the tide of time. 

XVI. 

Obedience is the harvest prize 

Which they receive who first have sown 
The patient seed which, riper grown, 

Is husbandry to make men wise. 

It is the mainspring of all life 

To constitute the finite will 

Within its sphere, and to fulfil 
Beneficence precluding strife. 






i^ — 



LAUDES VIRTUTIS. 



^ 



25 



Where Industry enduring plies 
Her round of toil in quest of ease, 
Or Isolation sues release 

With Expectation's pleading eyes, 

Her oracle affords relief 

In many a tender, loving tone, 
Inspires with hope each desolate one, 

And dissipates the cloud of grief. 

What gladness crowns her swift days here ! 

Inured to vigils and to toil, 

She cultivates the genial soil 
Of virtue for a brighter sphere, 

And garners soon the golden prize 
Of virtuous worth, than treasured Ind 
The trophy dearer to the mind. 

Enduring whole eternities ; 

Where more no sin nor dolor's frown 
The reign of Virtue may molest, 
Whose glories are for ever bless'd. 

Where saintliness is perfect grown, 



►e. 



i3^ 



ass 




LAUDES VIRTU TIS. 



Nor self- demeaned in retrospect 

Of Nature's vile ignominy, 

But vindicates th' autonomy 
Of Providence and law perfect. 

XVII. 

Vain's Emulation to befriend 

Chivalrous hearts of gallant youth, 
Or minds athirst for Freedom's truth ; 

Virtue alone can crown the end. 

Nor art nor eloquence excels, 
Nor lore acquired in the schools. 
How far sought e'er the science of rules, 

If higher wisdom nowhere dwells I 

For Vice may ne'er usurp the place 
Of Virtue for the heart and mind, 
While common end to both s assigned, 

And Virtue rules with sov'reign grace. 

Yet men parade vain sophistries 

Of systems most empirical. 

Nor reck they what may chance befall 
The dupes of their weird phantasies. 



LAUDES VIRTUTIS. 

Shall God and Nature be divorced, 
And law in chaos all be lost, 
If fools impugn at their own cost 

The order o'er the realms enforced ; 

And e'en array all science profane 

'Gainst higher truth and saving grace ! 
As if, forsooth, words could erase 

The wonders of Jehovah's reign ; 

Or e'er detract one jot of praise 
Which all creation in acclaim 
Awards to magnify His name 

Who is, who was, and rules always. 



XVIII. 



\i/ 



Divine handmaid, hail ! virgin Peace, 
Unwedded yet to earthly care, 
Of vision beauteous, heaven-fair. 

Who giv'st to man his heart's surcease. 

Who most esteems thy priceless dower, 
Who most discerns thy saving worth. 
Who, sooth, save him that first went forth, 

To serve the Tempter's blighting power ? 



►EL 



LAUDES VIRTU TIS. 

Let prodigals' tears repentant tell 
What honor lies in wealth and fame, 
\What sorrow writhes the heart, what shame, 
Since first allured by siren spell. 

Thou art, O Lord ! the life divine. 

Thy love hath one unchanging voice, 

It favors not a double choice. 
It doth not cast its pearls to swine. . 

Thy Peace, great Lord, doth much abound 
With clean of heart, and such alone 
May ever hope around Thy throne 

To hear her joyous paeans resound. 



\ 



XIX. 

Thy mandate hath unfailing light 

To shed around our wanderings here ; 
Vouchsafe Thy ministering angel near 

To guard our steps by day, by night. 

Magnificent Thy virtue's name ; 

How great Thou art Thy works attest. 

Oh ! be Thy mercies ever blessed 
Which usher into hearts Thy reign — 




^^ ■ ^L^*- 



LAUDES VIRTUTIS, 



29 



The reign of peace when trouble 's nigh, 
The reign of hope for joy to come, 
The reign of love, perfection's sum, 

The gracious reign of Thee, Most High. 

Ineffable Thy Majesty. 

Bow down, ye peoples, own His power ; 

See Nature's conscious tempest lower, 
Appalled before Divinity. 

Desired of nations, haste to free 
Our captive souls enslaved by sin ; 
Thy virtuous truth its reign begin, 

Which best secures our liberty. 

The Dragon seeks in vain for prey, 
And Hell doth countless victims miss, 
Since Peace and Justice meet to kiss, 

And Earth and Heaven Thy will obey. 

XX. 

Almighty Lord, who dost foresee 

The divers whims of passion wrought, 
The divers sins of deed and thought 

Which alienate the heart from Thee, 



1^ 



Illume us with Thy perfect law, 
The mercies of its reign bestow, 
Our faithful dower, that we may grow 

In wisdom, love, and solemn awe ; 




LAUDES VIRTUTIS. 



That not in vain our sufferings here, 
Whose every pang but tells the woe 
And agony of hearts below 

That have not known Thy Father's cheer- 

That, mourners here, we may not miss 
The meed of faith's allotted praise, 
But glorify Thy works and ways. 

Who crownest grief with endless bliss ; 

That, as around Thy gracious throne 
Thy angels laud Thee face to face. 
We may be faithful to Thy grace. 

And e*en like them Thy praise intone, 




Beseeching that Thy will be done. 
By all who here Thy name confess, 
By us who languish in distress, 

Almighty Spirit, Three in One. 




ARK ! 'tis the hour of Yule midnight 
And solemn silence fills the earth ; 
The heavens reveal a beacon-light 
Announcing near the Messiah's 
birth, ^ 

As Micheas had the tidings told : 
'* A royal Shoot of Jesse's seed, 
Shall rise and rule a faithful fold ; 

His word divine the soul shall feed, 
Of David's line the first proud stem 
Whose race hath chosen Bethlehem." 

II. 
Lo ! angels, wondering, hover near. 

And paeans resound in fervid strain ; 
How great the sense of reverent fear 

Inspires the anthem's glad refrain ! 

31 



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32 A CHRISTMAS LEGEND. 

In earth or heaven naught may compare 
With this transporting harmony, 

Whose accents bold the demons dare. 
Proclaiming Mercy's jubilee — 

Whence Peace and Justice haste to kiss, 

Redeeming man out sin's abyss. 

III. 
Meek shepherds see the heavens aglow, 

And hear the choral symphony ; 
Their minds and hearts, ecstatic now. 

Divine the godly mystery. 
So haste they with accord to greet 

Him Prince of Peace who conquers hell^ 
To pay Him homage the most meet 

Who comes their souls' Emmanuel ; 
Nor flag their steps till Bethlehem's stall 
In adoration sees them fall. 

IV. 

And Magi from a distant land, 

Familiar with astrologic lore, 
The star descry, refulgent, grand, 

More lustrous than e'er shone before. 



►E. 



-3* 



A CHRISTMAS LEGEND. n^^i 

" This be a prodigy !" they cry, 
" Designed for us and Gentiles all 

To lead us to sure victory 

Which sin or death may ne'er enthrall. 

'Tis grace resplendent, Heaven-sent, 

Salvation's boon, the Orient. 

V. 

" Then hence away ; 'tis meet to explore 

The course of yon celestial ray, 
A beacon sure as that of yore 

Whence Israel fled the tyrant's sway. 
No barriers here obstruct our path, 
By Heaven illumed 'gainst guile and snare ; 
In vain essays diabolic wrath 

To thwart our steps, in Heaven's care ; 
Where'er it be. His natal shrine. 
There let's adore the Babe divine." 



VI. 



So spoke Melchior, senior lord, 

Whose converse was the most austere 

And all obeyed the prudent word, 
So worthy of Arabia's seer. 




34 A CHRISTMAS LEGEND. 



They forthwith seek the destined ^oal, 
Led by the star's refulgent ray, 

Whose mystic light still 'lumes the soul, 
And still points out the pilgrim's way, 

Nor fails to impart its wonted cheer 

Till to Jerusalem's gate they near. 

VII. 

When lo ! despite their intent gaze, 

Which, anxious, seeks the beacon fair, 
They naught descry, save murky haze 

Which typifies their hearts' despair. 
" Ours be no crime of deed or thought 

Which Heaven would seem to disallow; 
If faith thus far our progress wrought, 

Has hope no homage to bestow?" 
So spake Melchior to the twain, 
Assuaging disappointment's pain. 

VIII. 

With zeal more ardent now inflamed, 
As if, forsooth, the star without 

But changed its place and inly gleamed 
Within their souls, they tend en route 



► f=^ 



SiSB 




A CHRISTMAS LEGEND. 



To Herod's court, quite undismayed, 
And lea^t suspecting guile, they tell 

Their wondrous tale : what they essayed, 
On Heaven's summons, what befell 

Their hopes when from the firmament 

Vanished the light divinely sent. 

IX. 

But Herod, jealous of his power, [grace, 

More curious waxed; then, with feigned 
Enquires each circumstance — the hour 

Of the phenomenon, the place 
Of its apparition, nor cares 

But to regale his guests with cheer. 
With royal peers he friendship shares; 

Their piety, sooth, he must revere — 
Oh! that the seers would haste t' explore, 
That he with them might, too, adore. 



And now the priests unanimous tell 
Where the Messiah must be born : 

Not in Salem where kings revel, 
But in Bethlem obscure and lorn. 





g. ' ^L,'- 




A CHRISTMAS LEGEND. 

" That be your goal," the Idumean said — 
'' Thither your royal course pursue ; 

My greeting bear, nor be afraid 

Here to return, should aught prove true, 

That I, too, go, as 'tis most meet, 

With solemn rite His birth to greet. 

XI. 

Thus reassured, the kings withdraw ; 

A buoyant zeal now makes them one ; 
Unconscious dread, preventing awe, 

Become incarnate, urge them on ; 
Nor seem to walk, but, winged, fly. 

As Him they near who all hath made, 
Omnipotence their panoply ; 

Nor more have need of impious aid — 
The clarion light doth reappear. 
Whence they divine the goal is near. 

XII. 

Lo ! now the star diviner glows, 
And from an eminence downpours 

Celestial radiance, which bestows 
Attractions in ambrosial showers. 




A CHRISTMAS LEGEND. 



What treasures thence now radiate 
Of light divine, atoning grace, 

Enriching mankind's lowliest state 
With faith and hope, potent to trace 

The life of God in heart and mind, 

The love of God in Christ enshrined ! 



They, reverent, enter. In amaze 

They contemplate the holy grot. 
Not as Moses, the bush ablaze, 

See they God's presence in that spot : 
No fear appalls nor sense deceives 

Where light and grace more obvious blend 
What sense discerns their faith conceives, 

While they in adoration bend 
And haste to bring their loyal prize 
Of Saba's gifts in sacrifice. 



Tis gold Melchior deemeth best 
To symbolize the Messiah's sway, 

For ever feared, for ever blessed, 

Whose glory knows not earth's decay — 






A CHRISTMAS LEGEND. 





To typify the mystic birth 

Of charity within the heart, 
The peerless boon of heaven to earth, 

The Trinity's divinest dart, 
Whose Spirit, sent, doth all things move. 
Renewing souls with life and love. 

XV. 

Gasper, in turn, with solemn grace, 

Presents his offering sublime. 
Peculiar to the priestly race, 

Ennobling every age and clime. 
Hail, Frankincense ! than ointment poured 

Which once descended Aaron's beard ; 
More precious thou whom Bethlem's Lord 

Hath by acceptance so endeared ; 
W^hile prayer ascends from contrite heart, 
Or altar smokes, thrice bless'd thou art. 

XVI. 

Balthassar now his gift bestows 
Of myrrh, the bitterest of its kind, 

Virtuous to embalm w^ith aloes, 
Fragrant withal, to sense refined. 




A CHRISTMAS LEGEND. 

This gift symbolic, sooth, foreshows 
The world's redemption and the prize 

Of grace which crowns terrestrial woes 
When meekly borne, Faith's sacrifice, 

Whence vital grows the Holy Rood, 

In fragrant streams of Precious Blood. 




XVII. 

And forth they sing a hymn of praise 

In Simeon's grateful strain, 
To magnify His works and ways 

Who comes o'er souls to reign — 
The mystery so wondrous wrought 

Of Mercy's sovereign power. 
Who from the heavens salvation brought 

To bless them in that hour ! 



XVIII. 



Their joy vibrates and, thrilling, swells 

In choral symphony ; 
The Lord their God, who with them dwells. 

Rewards their harmony, 





A CHRISTMAS LEGEND. 

And for their prize rare blessing gives : 
The first-fruits of His birth, 

The '' better gifts," which who receives 
Contemns the gifts of earth. 

XIX. 

He gives them peace and unity 

Transcending sense mundane 
He gives them royal victory, 

Which lets them kings remain 
Confirms their faith, perfects their love. 

Completes His reign within, 
A foretaste breathes of joys above, 

Preserving them from sin. 



The Magi press a tender kiss 

On the Infant's beauteous face. 
And find therein ecstatic bliss, 

The communion of His grace. 
The contact hath a sweet accord 

Seraphs are wont to feel 
When lowly bowed before their Lord 

With thoughts no words reveal. 




y^ttmitu 



(^^ ESUS, Saviour, life bestowing, 

Endless be Thy gracious reign ! 
Send Thy mystic fire aglowing 
Unto souls, there to remain ; 
Send Thy Heart, assuaging pain. 




Conceived within chaste Virgin's womb, 
Honored by seraphic choirs, 

Risen from sepulchral gloom, 
Jesus quickens pure desires ; 

Sacrifice of saving grace, 

Thy blood, Jesu, doth sin efface. 



1 





Itt iur iast :|oIi| 1l4ir, |>J«$ IX., 

ON THE OCCASION OF HIS GOLDEN JUBILEE. 



ET Music now her sacred chant 
Of praise intone, and Harmony 
Attune her sister choirs to grant 

Their fullest meed of symphony ; 
For Gratitude the paean inspires, 
And overflows with sympathy 
To celebrate with pious desires 
Our sainted Pontiff's jubilee. 

II. 

Lo ! fifty years his sacred brow. 

As jewelled crown of Israel's King, 

Hath never ceased on earth to glow. 
Nor wake within all hearts the sting 

43 



3SSK 





^< ll ^^-' — 



TO OUR MOST HOL V FA THER, PIUS IX. 

Of deep compunction for their sins, 
And thanksgiving, the grateful meed 
Of more than Jesse's sceptred seed. 



III. 

Hail, blessed day! whose luminous sun 

Eclipses by his dazzling ray 
The brightest trophies Fame hath won 

From Father Time's imperious sway ; 
A nobler glory crowns thee now, 

Resplendent gleam of pristine youth, 
Reflecting on thy sacred brow. 

The tiara of godlike Truth. 



IV. 

Our Pontiff, Pius, hail to thee ! 

First of the fold, vicegerent, lord. 
Till time shall cease our surety 

Through faith in Christ's confirming word. 
Unconquered e'er, triumphing grace 

Awards thee fullest victory ; 
Well may our hearts exult to trace 

The claims of thy nobility. 




TO OUR MOST HOL V FA THER, PIUS IX. 
V. 

Inspired of Him who always spake, 

With power and grace as none before 
Nor since, till doom knows how to break, 

The all mysterious saving lore, 
Thou speakest, and from farthest zone, 

Where angels the glad tidings wing. 
The welkin wakes to rapture's tone 

In greeting to thee. Pontiff-king. 



VI 



They come, the shepherds of the fold, 

Allied to thee in unity, 
With zeal inspired, to uphold 

The prerogatives of thy virtuous See, 
That all may know thy sacred reign 

And, reverent, bow with faith profound. 
That o'er the earth the glad refrain 

Of harmony may e'er resound. 

VII. 

Good shepherd thou of sheep and lambs, 
Thou openest pastures rich and sweet, 



1^ 



IS 





TO OUR MOST HOL V FA THER, PIUS IX. 

Thou feedest with thy own loved hands 

Providest e'er a safe retreat ; 
That wolf or ravenous beast of prey 

May ne'er surprise thy tender care, 
Thou watchest faithfully alway, 

And wilt its every danger share. 

VIII. 

Most noble son, first client thou 

Blessed Mary's praise to celebrate, 
Thy ministering work that 'round her brow 

Gleams a new star — the Immaculate — 
That far off lands, illumined now, 

May contemplate her radiant mien, 
Till, charmed by the unrivaled glow, 

They, too, proclaim her glorious Queen 

IX. 

Infallible, thy voice declares 
The truths of Faith unerringly ; 

To rid the wheat of blightsome tares 
Thy zeal goes forth untiringly. 






i^%-^ 



TO OUR MOST HOL Y FA THER, PIUS IX. 

O sacred Vicar ! to thee the keys 

Of sovereignty by Christ were given, 

To ope the golden gates of Peace, 
Admitting to the joys of Heaven. 

X. 

Blessed Pilot thou, no surging tide 

May e'er engulf thy bark's white sail ; 
Each impious storm thou dost o'erride — 

'Tis only thou who canst not fail ! 
The w^and of God's high Providence, 

Thou smitest rocks in Egypt's land 
Whence flow salvation and defence. 

The trophies of thy meek command. 

XI. 

Hail, Pontiff Pius! gracious name. 

That makes all hearts rejoice with thine ; 
May, too, all tongues aloud proclaim 

The triumphs of the Truth divine, 
Whose words thou hast endued with grace 

To illume our minds, the world to free, 
To enrich our souls, redeem our race, 

And crown thy work with jubilee. 




Wttd \$nhtixm txi i^t innfeli of 1^^ 



I. 



I LESS the Lord, all ye His Works, 
y!f}h extol Him evermore. 




,(© Bless the Lord, angehc Choirs ; ye 
Heavens high, adore. 

Bless the Lord, ye Waters all o'er firma- 
ment's expanse. 

Bless the Lord, ye Powers sublime. His vir- 
tuous might enhance. 

Bless the Lord, O Sun and Moon! ye Stars 
empyrean, bless. 

Bless the Lord, ye quickening Showers ; ye 
Spirits all, confess. 

Bless the Lord, elemental Heat of every 
known degree. 

Bless the Lord, all Frost and Snow, Icebergs 
in Polar sea. 





i^ii liT-^ m^'' 



CANTICLE OF THE THREE CHILDREN. "49 

Bless the Lord, ye Nights and Days in alter- 
nating course. 

Bless the Lord, ye wintry Gales, resounding 
weird and hoarse. 

Bless the Lord, the Earth entire, the sove- 
reign, gracious Lord. 

Bless the Lord, Creator all, by His all-puis- 
sant word. 



II. 



Bless the Lord, ye Mounts and Hills, ye Val- 
leys and ye Plains. 

Bless the Lord, ye Founts and Rills, ye Riv- 
ers, Seas, and Mains. 

Bless the Lord, ye finny Schools that ani- 
mate the deep. 

Bless the Lord, ye feathered Tribes that 
through the welkin sweep. 

Bless the Lord, dumb creatures all of bo- 
rough and of glen. 

Bless the Lord right royally, ye lords of na- 
ture, Men. 



►B. 



Bee 



\/ 




50 CANTICLE OF THE THREE CHILDREN. 



III. 

Bless the Lord, O Israel ! Who girt thee with 
His might, 

And placed thee over Sion to herald His De- 
light. 

Bless the Lord, ye Priests elect, inheritance 
divine. 

Bless the Lord, His servants all, whose works 
conspicuous shine. 

Bless the Lord, ye spirits pure, souls righte- 
ous of the just. 

Bless the Lord, His holy ones, all hearts of 
simple trust. 



\ 



IV. 

Thou art for ever blessed in heaven's vaulted 

sky, 
By creatures all confessed with rapturous 

symphony. 
Thy wisdom's works to praise we, too, with 

voice contend, 
And greet thee Lord al\va}\s, our Sovereign 

and Friend. 





\ 



^iippHtHliam 



I. 




ET not, O Lord ! Thy sword of justice 

Regard us gracious with Thy 
mercy's eye, 
Though sinners great, we fain as 
qjiildren call 
On Thee, our Father, for loving sympathy ; 
Exalted 'hove the spheres. Creator all, 

Thou art almighty, hear Thou our suppli- 
ant cry. 



II. 



From nothing hast Thou made whatever is 

Or moves in range of universal space ; 
Thy Providence sustaineth all that lives, 



^^ '^L^-- 



52 



SUPPLICA TJON, 



And quickens hearts Thy virtues here to 

trace ; 
Take pity, Lord, not whole eternities 

May e'er exhaust Thy Mercy's saving 

grace. 



III. 

Thy people, we, released from dire distress, 
Have shared Thy bounty through many a 
devious way, 
Yet, stiff-necked all, we spurned Thy faithful- 
ness 
And wandered far from Thy commands 

astray ; 
Nor hast Thou yet withdrawn Thy beacon 
ray, 
Thy shekinah that cheers our loneliness. 




^nttfogiumg Jlit^. 




<^ 



LL o'er the land let tongues proclaim, 
With conscience - gladdening 
power, 
The copious fruits of peaceful reign 
Vouchsafed by Mercy's power. 
To wrest our minds from things mundane, 
To free our hearts from sinful stain, 
And heavenly blessings shower. 



II. 

Aloft the soul in jubilee. 
Where purer joys belong. 

And saints, communing lovingly, 
Intone the festive song ; 

Where, rapt in blissful ecstasy. 

Rejoicing in sweet symphony. 
The Choirs their notes prolong. 

68 




THANKSGIVING DA V, 



III. 




Around Religion's altar throne, 

By every ill oppressed, 
Is heard arise the suppliant tone 

Of sorrow-stricken breast — 
The prodigal wailing misdeeds done 
Since erst he left his father's home, 

Where now he sighs for rest. 



IV. 

'^ O Father, let thy mercy plead 

For my w^eak, helpless state ; 
Refuse me not thy children's meed 

However vile, ingrate ; 
Thine outstretched arms invite my speed, 
Thy Providence, full store in need, 

Can save me from my fate. 



v. 



" I thank Thee for the goodness wrought 

On every tribe and tongue. 
The riches of Thy love far-brought. 

To prove devotion strong ; 





THANKSGIVING DA V. 



Thy potent grace, illuming thought, 
Thy virtuous peace, enshrining hearts 
In glory's brightening sun ! 



VI. 



" I thank Thee for Thy will ordained 

To bless eternally. 
Thy sovereign law to man proclaimed, 

Uniting him to Thee ; 
Oh ! may all hearts, with love inflamed, 
Exult to feel that Thou hast rained 

Salvation's jubilee ! " 



VII. 

Let Thanksgiving meet praise resound. 
To bless the sovereign Lord, 

Who makes His riches e'er abound 
By His enduring word ; 

Whose Providence doth need confound, 

Makes plenty smile the earth around, 
Where'er His name's adored. 





^mi %rnmh. 



AIL! saint of God, whose virtue told 
Awakes the joyful strains of old, 
When prophet touched the slumber- 
ing lyre 

And anthem s swell each note inspired ; 
Receive our vows, thy favor lend, 
Who art our patron, guide, and friend. 



II. 

Thy name, blessed Francis, life endears, 
As grace divine the sinner's tears ; 
As sunburst's rays to struggling morn. 
Thy spirit cheers mankind forlorn ; 
As flaming fire each inmost part. 
Thy zeal aglow consumes the heart. 

57 



•E. 



^=h 



58 



ST. FRANCIS. 




III. 

Thy faith subdues the tempest's storm, 
Ttience evil hath no power to harm ; 
Thy counsel quickens hope's dull ray 
To brightness of eternal day — 
When faith and hope shall cease to be, 
But love shall reign eternally. 

IV. 

Now, Holy Church exults to praise 
The glory which is thine always ; 
While angels, vying, 'round thee pour 
To reverence, while they adore 
The Paraclete, whose sapient darts 
Transfix with joy thy children's hearts. 






E praise Thy name, Jehovah, 

We greet Thee Sovereign Lord, 
The Author of all nature, 

By Heaven and Earth adored. 



II. 



While we, Thy power confessing. 
Proclaim aloud Thy praise. 

Vouchsafe us all a blessing — 
Thy gracious aid always. 



III. 

Our Father, truly faithful, 

Whose word hath wonders wrought, 
Oh ! make us duly grateful 

To serve Thee as we ought. 





O Spirit ! breathing ever 
The plenitude of love, 

Impart to us the treasure 
Of peace that reigns above. 



Let no rude foe assail us, 
Defending here the right ; 

But joy divine regale us 
In Thee, Supreme Delight 





IVE PRAISE THY NAME, JEHOVAH. 



Our Saviour meek and lowly, 
Our Shepherd when we stray, 

Who, from Thy throne of glory, 
Doth point salvation's way ! 



Thy wisdom, deep divining, 
Retrieves our every loss ; 

Thy love, our hopes enshrining 
Endears us to Thy cross. 



66 



►El- 




AV£, MARIA, 



All nature's beauties cluster 
And feast the sunlit air, 

But thy more genial lustre 
Illumes the heart's despair ; 

Ave, Maria ! Ave, Maria ! 
Of creatures the most fair ! 



Tempestuous storms confounding, 
Thou art the beacon star ; 

The. notes of Mars resounding, 
The labarum of war; 

Ave, Maria ! Ave, Maria ! 
Our refuge from afar ! 



What though our hearts in sorrow 

Are lowly laid in dust, 
We'll pray that each to-morrow 

May find us still more just ; 
Ave, Maria ! Ave, Maria! 

Our citadel of trust ! 




(^^HOU Spirit increate, 

Whose glory ever reigns. 

With harmony proclaims 

Thy being matchless great ! 




II. 



We: worship at Thy shrine, 
Where holiness is meet, 
With contrite hearts to greet 

Thee Lord of life divine. 



III. 



In every time and place 
The faithful prayer is heard ; 
Thy Spirit plenteous poured 

To enrich with saving grace. 



Lk 



ap 




A PR A YER. 



IV. 

Oh ! hear Thy supphants now ; 
Let penitential tears 
Efface their sins and fears ; 

Make them in wisdom grow. 




Make all in virtue thrive, 
Let mercy bounteous shine 
On us who here repine, 

That we may love and live ! 



VI. 



Then, Father, bless always; 
May every work here done 
Redound to Thee alone 

As canticle of praise. 



^1, fdvW& la^. 




DAY of joy has come again, 
Dear Erin, 'tis for thee ; 
Thine exile sons forget their pain 
'Mid festive jubilee. 



II. 



Saint Patrick lights thy Tara's fire, 
With an unwonted flame ; 

And Faith divine attunes thy lyre 
To gracious deeds of fame. 



III. 



A glory bright now crowns thy head 
With virtue's noblest sheen, 

Meet homage to the martyred dead 
Whose mother thou hast been. 



J ^' ^^ 



72 ST. PA TRICIC S DA Y, 

IV. 

That light divine illumes thy brow 

With majesty sublime, 
And mankind all thy worth avow 

In every age and clime — 

v. 

Thy zeal impassioned in the cause 
To God and country dear, 

Where Justice wards her sacred laws 
To exemplars sincere. 

VI. 

Thy prowess, which on many a field 
The proudest trophies won, 

The prestige of thy Brian's shield 
Still gleaming in the sun ! 

VII. 

The lustre of thy golden age 
When, seeking purer lore, 

Science invoked thy learned page, 
And Europe sought thy shore. 





ST. PA TRICK'S DA Y, 
VIII. 

Religion, shedding saving light, 
From Heaven's empyrean throne. 

Discovers in thy virtuous sight 
A likeness all her own. 

IX. 

Devotion of thy myriad saints 
With bliss beatic crowned, 

Whose lives so free from sinful taints 
Have made thy name renowned. 

X. 

The trophies of thy gratitude. 
Thy towers and temples grand, 

Which stand sublime in solitude 
Brave sentinels of thy land. 



XI. 



Memorials bright of other days ! 

What secret springs ye move. 
To wake the soul's ennobling praise 

To loyalty and love ! 





ST. FA TRICK'S DA V. 
XII. 

All this the light thy glory shed, 
Saint Patrick, blessed name ! 

The truth of God, to Freedom wed, 
Shall e'er resound thy fame. 

XIII. 

Then light the fire of Tara high. 

Whose soul-inspiring glow 
Hath blessed us with Faith's victory, 

Through centuries of woe. 

XIV. 

Light high the fire which Freedom 
lights 

O'er martyr-patriot graves. 
And vindicate thy children's rights, 

Nor view them longer slaves. 



i^g^^^g 




1(Iq>) ail, bravest of heroes who bled 

For country, for virtue, and fame ! 
Enduring the glory thou'st shed 
Round Erin's fair consecrate 
name ; 
A martyr in the flower of thy youth, 
Thou hallowest the shrine of God's truth. 



II. 

Divine was the impulse which wrought 

Thy genius celestial to fire 
The sacred emotions first caught 

Of Freedom's impassioned desire ; 
Thine is the proud spirit that tells 
Where the tide of nobility swells. 

75 




ROBERT EMMET. 




III. 

Pure type of the patriot soul, 
Thy memory e'er shall inspire 

A yearning for Liberty's goal ; 
The Phoenix of Liberty's pyre, 

Ennobling humanity's woe, 

Thy name a blessed beacon doth glow. 



A freeman by nature and grace, 

Thou spurned'st fell Tyranny's thrall. 

The pathway of Freedom to trace 
Naught could thy brave spirit appall 

While valor inspirits our race 
We'll echo thy victory's call ! 






%mnkt[ itx ^m\mhf ^tins txl ^rin. 



WAKE to manhood, sons of Erin ! 
V Let no rude tyrant strike you 

down ; 
Your record of heroic bearing 
May well defy Oppression's frown. 




II. 



In vain would Crime's vile minions rampant, 
Enforce base laws of Heaven accursed, 

Humanity's star, for e'er ascendant, 

Now heralds forth Freedom's sunburst — 



ITT. 



Emblazoning on your brows the beauty. 
Endearing e'er your verdant sod, 

Enshrining in your hearts the duty, 
Allegiance to your homes and God. 



mrt 




8o INI SF AIL. 

Shall e'er enwreathe thee with a fadeless 

crown — 
Nor vainly sung, while Fame's illumined 

page 
Proclaims thy song the glory of each age ! 

III. 

Fair Land, the shrine of lettered lore, thy 
tongue 

Resounds, for aye, within our heart of hearts ; 

Oh ! may it live, with native accent strong, 

And reunite thy now disjointed parts. 

Proud Land, awake, shake off thy cumbrous 
chains, 

And consecrate to Freedom what loyalty re- 
mains ! 



^v 



-^^ 




n \tl\^umti. 



HY spirit is a regal dower, 
A pearl of greatest price ; 
It vests thee with the Saviour's 
power 
To gladden and rejoice. 

II. 
Thy trophies are of faith and love, 

Which know no carnage spoils ; 
But grateful hearts exultant prove 

Thy bloodless victories. 

81 





^I^mambr ^^a^* 



EM EMBER thee ? oh ! yes, for ever, 
While e'er survives a struggHng 
breath ; 
The troth now pledged, no time 
shall sever 
Until this heart lies cold in death. 

II. 
Thy spirit, meek as angel's slumber, 

Shall hover near when ills oppress, 
And where the world's rude cares encumber, 

A charm divine exert to bless. 



III. 
As Rapture wooed the bowers of Eden, 

Abloom with innocence and love, 
Transporting, too, thy virtues, laden 

With pure attractions from above. 





REMEMBER THEE. 
IV. 

Dispensing e'er the golden treasure, 
The Saviour s love-atoning plan, 

Thy life 's poured out in Godlike measure, 
A holocaust of grace to man ; 

v. 

A sacrifice of Christian merit, 

Which brighter shines 'mid doubts and 
fears, 
So like the sun, whose rays inherit 

A richer glow when darkness nears ! 



Oh ! may thy virgin tears of sorrow 

So irrigate thy fallow lana. 
That grace and bliss enrich each furrow. 

Agreeably to God's high command. 

VII. 

May, too, our hearts, in accord blending, 
Unite at length their chords unstrung. 

Where Cherubim, with strain unending. 
Perfect the harmony of song. 



ill iiimnrmm. 



TO COL. WILLIAM M. BOONE, 



E is gone, all illumined with glory — 
His trophy of chivalrous worth ; 
Enduring for aye be his story, 
Inscribed on each altar and 
hearth ! 



II. 



A son so devotedly loyal 

No kingdom nor empire may claim ; 
His name, more transcendently royal, 

Emblazons Columbia's fame. 



III. 



Inspired by the sound of the tocsin. 
When war with dread terror prevailed, 

His valor impelled him to action, 
Defending the breach where assailed. 



84 




IN MEMORIAM. 



IV. 




Oh ! would ye had seen his proud rally 
In the ebbing of victory's tide, 

With his columns to glory advancing 
In the flush of reconquering pride ! 



v. 



While the craters of war in the battle 
Their vengeance voluminous outpour, 

He recks not their peals of death-rattle, 
Nor the plain albeit crimson with gore. 



VI. 



Till the flag of his country be planted 
O'er the turrets, as pyramid fast, 

He presses with spirit undaunted, 
He sweeps as the hurricane's blast ! 



VII. 



As strong wind that marshals the ocean, 
His impulse to Victory's cause ; 

All Roman his valorous devotion, 
Till Victory smiled her applause. 




^^►*%p» 



IN MEMORIAM. 



VIII. 



Nor the star of his destiny failed him 
To Hghten the burden of woe ; 

The carnage of war but availed him 
To staunch first the wounds of the foe 



IX. 



Who felt that his presence was given 
A blessing to aid the downtrod, 

To fix their last thoughts on high Heaven, 
To wing their faint spirits to God. 



Ah ! list to their prayer, the deep murmur, 
Which angels now sing with acclaim : 

'' May Heaven emblazon our banner 
With the sheen of thy luminous name ! " 



XI. 



They ask for this boon, for no other 
Twill suit their proud spirit to crave ; 

No foeman, but fostering brother, 

They greet him '' The best of the brave." 




E^i 




IN MEMORIAM. 



XII. 



Ah ! would ye had seen him so beauteous 
In the day of his martial renown, 

Ye had loved him more tender and duteous, 
And made his example your own ! 



XIII. 



Admired him adorning each station 
That genius and merit attain ; 

In war, the stout shield of the nation, 
In peace, still his country's great gain 



XIV. 



A prop to all those who around him 
Succumbed to the load of distress, 

Temptation proved vain to confound him 
In his mission of mercy to bless. 



XV. 



The escutcheon of country and altar, 
Impervious as adamant wall, 

Unknown his brave spirit to falter, 
Whenever allegiance did call 





^ ^^ "u^ ■ '^^ i ^L^'' 



^=iS^*-^P«-^Nai 



IN MEMORIAM. 



XVI. 




A monument proud let us raise him, 

A trophy imposing, to tell 
How royally peoples should praise him, 

Who served all right royally well — 

XVII. 

A trophy sublime as his glory, 
Supernal as virtue's blessed ray, 

Enshrining for aye his proud story, 
Enduring as Liberty's sway ! 

XVIII. 

Religion decrees him high honor 
For zeal so ennobling, divine. 

Requites all the gifts of her donor, 
And welcomes his dust to her shrine. 



XIX. 

I There oft may the orphan and widow 

Unite at his consecrate bier. 
To pray 'neath the sanctuary's shadow 
And tender their gratitude's tear ; 




^ ^ * ^LJ" 



IN ME MORI AM. 



89 



XX. 



To pray that their patron departed 
May still of his bounty bestow 

To make them more pure and true-hearted, 
To make them in merits o'erflow ; 



XXI. 



To pray for the heroes immortal, 
Illustrious in peace as in war, 

Illuming the gloom of death's portal 
With the halo of victory's star ; 



XXII. 



To pray for the lone ones in sorrow, 
That the Spirit vouchsafe of his love 

To fill up Bereavement's deep furrow 
And crown them with glory above. 



XXIII. 



He rests where his work doth enshrine him. 
With the temple he reared for his tomb ; 

There long shall Affection entwine him, 
'Mid roses of perennial bloom. 



►E^ 




So 



lHa^ti^. 




H ROUGH life's dreary pilgrimage 
^^^ Tis ours to mourn ; 

'Mid tears of vain penitence 
We here sojourn. 

Sinner, saint, frail creatures are, 
Victims of life's checkering hour ; 

The hymn of peace, the notes of war. 
But echo Time's destroying power. 

All hopes deceive us in their turn, 

Ever the same ; 
They rise and fall like dew of morn, 

For ever vain. 

A bird disports in vacant air. 

Where Fancy builds her castles fair ; 

But soon arrests its soaring flight, 

As darkling lower the shades of night. 

91 





i^?-^fef 



SOLILOQUY. 



Friends so loved are now away, 

Lying in the tomb ; 
While we survive but for a day 

Awaiting doom. 

Behold, in willow-mantled wood, 
How soft asleep the great and good ! 

Like them a while on earth we stray, 
And, then, eternally away. 





^nllm yin$. 




I. 

IIPTTEND, ye sprites, both elve and 
wight, 
Who revel in the twilight air ! 
Though carnival be yours to-night, 
Against intrigues and wiles be- 
ware. 



i 



II. 

The power youVe lent must not be spent 
For man's vexation and annoy ; 

Tis good to cheer with merriment, 
But worse than idle to decoy. 

93 





--""1»'^^ 



HALLO IV E VE. 




Remember how on earth distressed 
Are myriads all from joy estranged ; 

How night to night, by sorrow pressed, 
Their visage is to phantom changed. 



Let no weird howl of demon ghoul 
Invade the portals of our peace ; 

But Fancy's sprite our hearts delight 
With true repose and bonnie ease. 






mm. 



USIC sweet for those we love, 
Music from the realms above ! 
Music, sprite 'mid festive glee, 
"^ Music, Heaven's own harmony J 

II. 

What magic charm for earth's dull round, 
What soothing balm to heal each wound, 
What bliss enchanting woos the heart 
As winged seraph's fiery dart ! 

III. 

Saint Cecilia, hail to thee, 
Saint of purest minstrelsy ! 
Saint and martyr both thou art, 
Patron of the choral heart 1 




MUSIC, 



IV 



Bless the paean of victory, 

Bless the anthem of the free, 

Bless each strain by Fleaven's command, 

Proclaiming peace to every land ! 



Let 's praise our God, whose gracious power 
Hath so endeared our exile hour! 
While love delights 'mid sacred song, 
As bliss ecstatic choirs among. 




VI. 



When bowing to Nature, Music's breath 
Seems for ever lost in death ; 
Before the throne where glory reigns, 
Music chants immortal strains ! 



VII. 



Music, sweet for those w^e love, 
Music, from the realms above ! 
Music, sprite 'mid festive glee, 
Music, Heaven's own harmony ! 






Tnnilit$ THttiliiltim. 



HIS life is all one round of woe 
Where'er man's lot is cast, 
His pleasures are the illusive glow 
Of Sorrow's checkering blast. 

II. 

His friendship knows no certain law 

Beyond applause or gain, 
As seams of frost to vernal thaw 

Whose silvery bands are vain. 

III. 

Aurora smiles, fair Hope illumes 
The morn of manhood's day ; 

When lowering storm portends its doom 
Now vanished is its ray. 

97 







V ANITAS VANITATUM. 



IV. 



The cheering voice and tender look 

Of love, that so endears, 
Are mystic tones of Nature's brook, 

Flowing with smiles and tears. 

V. 

A life misspent, of thwarted fame, 
Echoes the plaint of some, 

While others trail the servile chain, 
Nor feel the torturing thong. 

VI. 

A thousand ills the breast oppress. 
Hapless on life's dread sea ; 

The saints alone, who bliss possess, 
Enjoy true liberty. 




HOUGH friends I prized have left 
me 
In iiour of bitter need, 
Of kindness all bereft me 
Lest I, perchance, succeed; 
A hope there is that buoys me 
On the billows of the deep, 
A faith that ne'er decoys me 
Nor causes me to weep. 



II. 



A beacon light victorious, 
Disporting on the wave ; 

A star divine more glorious 
Resplendent o'er the grave : 




RE SIGN A TION. 



Tis Virtue's stainless banner 

Unfurled to the breeze, 
The escutcheon of fair honor, 

The spirit of true peace. 
III. 

A light for ever glowing, 

The halo of the cross, 
A talisman bestowing, 

Retrieving every loss ; 
As gracious words once spoken, 

'* Blessed are they who mourn," 
Their yearning hearts the token 

To invite the Groom's return. 




►E. 




T^t 



% Jmnir ttf ^nng. 




LAND of song is Erin's Isle — 
It's emerald groves and genial 

clime 
Inspire the minstrel's facile rhyme 

To win the Muses' favored smile ! 



II. 



Its mountains rear their heads sublime, 
As Truth's supernal temple-dome, 
Where saint doth chant from Missal tome 

The •* Gloria's " majestic chime. 



\ 



III. 

Its valleys as Faith's altar smoke 
Sweet incense, sacred to the song, 
Whose faithful strains for ages long 

Are unsubdued by tyrant's yoke — 

101 




\^i 




'^^"^.j y ^ ni 



I02 



A LA. YD OF SOXG. 




The song which braved the sword and brand 
Of Persecution's impious laws, 
Of gibbet, rack, and to turing claws, 

Still lives to nerve the patriot hand. 



Amid the wreck of battle-strife, 
As faithful armor girded on. 
As labarum gleaming in the sun. 

Our martial song, our nation's life ! 



And when victorious paeans arise 
Of Peace, to gladden earth always, 
Of Freedom's grateful anthem-praise, 

Then, Erin, thine the sceptre-prize. 



For, like a torrent rushing strong, 
Impetuous as the lava tide. 
Exultant in unconquered pride. 

The spirit of thy royal song ! 




J fhn for i\$ J)«ait. 



[The occasion of the following lines was a threatened vio- 
lent and sacrilegious disinterment of the dead reposing in 
Crossboyne graveyard in the month of September, 1875. 
They were at the time published in the Tuam A^iws.] 




ISTURB not the dead where their 
bones lie interred, 
For Justice still guards them though 
her voice be unheard ; 
Their right to repose, 'neath their consecrate 

sod, 
Is a title secured them by Nature and God — 
Then leave them the rest for which they oft 

prayed 
And bore all life's trials, e'en death undis- 
mayed. 




.ii> 



SE 



I04 



A PLEA FOR THE DEAD. 



II. 

Disturb not the dead! let not miscreant or 

slave 
Presume to unearth e'en one sod of their 

grave ; 
Their bones lie so hallowed ! for ages they've 

slept, 
And Vengeance will smite him who violates 

their crypt. 
Disarm, then, your wrath, you rude lordling 

and slave. 
And let not its fury be spent on the grave ! 

III. 
Disturb not the dead ! 'tis the Angel of Peace, 
With Justice and Mercy, that guards their 

reliques. 
Let not Profanation her orgies reveal. 
Where Religion and Nature have impress'd 

their seal ; 
Then leave them in peace who are by Hea- 
ven possess'd — 
'Tis the world's best treasure where the weary 
find rest. 





^^3s:SMv^ 





>^0ug^ ^^rrtttu J)al| 1^^ J)n^ pirtbtih 



HOUGH sorrow doth thy day be- 
cloud 
And grief infest as cankering 
wound, 
And death with countless terrors shroud 

The prospect of a life entombed ; 
Hope on, hope on ! a beacon light 
Still opes to view a. day more bright ! 

The trial, the woe, the agony, 

Which point to death or dark despair — 
The orgies of life's mystery, 

Affrighting phantoms bleak and drear — 
All phases are of victory 
Where saints exult in ecstacy. 

105 





1[n^i^btrm'$ Pirl^* 



i 





ARK ! 'tis the day of Freedom's 
birth, 
Hosannas let us sing ; 
Salvation to the enslaved earth 
Let our proud anthem ring. 

II. 
The cause which fills our grateful land 

With blessing and renown 
Is fit to nerve each patriot's hand, 

To strike oppression down. 

III. 
For tyrant's power, however strong, 

Cannot dismay the right. 
While Heaven wars against the wrong 

With Freedom's conquering might. 

107 



.3* 




FREEDOM'S BIRTH, 



Tis thus Columbia's gallant sons 
A hostile foe o'erthrew, 

And routed his best champions 
As Hessian-rabble crew ! 



And raised aloft a sacred shrine 

To glorious Victory, 
Proclaiming to her form divine 

The anthem of the free'. 




There peoples all the vow renew 
To win the hallowed prize, 

With firm resolve to brave and do 
Or die in sacrifice. 



Each altar smokes with incense pure; 

What volumes Heavenward roll ! 
While Slavery's shame and Victory's flame 

Impel the patriot's soul ! 



9 L r-^ ^L^"- 



As cataract from the mountain height, 
With force that naught can stay, 

Thus to the front '' for God and right " 
Brave heroes speed their way. 




FREEDOM S BIR TH. 



VIII. 




IX. 



The Kelt and Pole now strike the blow 
Of vengeance a routrance ; 

The Sclav and Greek as warlike glow 
And to the charge advance. 



X. 



What History tells of Marathon 
Her voice again echoes ; 

A tribute to our Washington, 
Each routs a myriad foes ! 



XI. 




Where Glory crowned her valiant band 

With life-immortal prize, 
There Freedom now hath trophies grand 

Their fame to eternize. 




Tis thus that e'er mid din of war 

Columbia's flag unfurled ; 
There looms athwart Hope's beacon star, 

The labarum of the world. 




®h \tx W$tnprmt$. 




VOID the cup, the cup ! 
2 For miseries in store 
Await the fool e'ermore 

Who tastes the poisoned sop ; 
The draught a horrid gore 
Of Hquid death doth pour 

On him who quaffs it up. 

No need of wrecking wave 

Or felon's blighting grave 

To curse the minion slave 
ft 
Who woos the damning cup. 



II. 



Where honor seems to smile 

Approval on the bowl, 

111 



112 



ODE TO TEMPERANCE. 



Illumed by grace, the soul 
Abhors the tempting wile, 
And bans the demon snare 
That lurks beneath the glare 
Luring the sons of toil ; 

Avaunt the affrighting dole 
Of conscience-stranding shoal. 
Of death-inflicting goal, 
The horrors of that smile ! 




III. 

O desecrating gain ! 

That thrivest on rapine wrong 
To riot with Bacchus' song, 

Over compatriots slain ; 
While thy fell orgies rave 
A million victims crave 

A respite from their pain. 
Thy siren-voiced spell 
Conducts thy dupes to dwell 
Deep down the bowels of Hell, 

Their loss thy vaunted gain ! 




ODE TO TEMPERANCE. 



II 



IV. 

O ruin-attainting prize ! 
Thy trophies are a bHght 
That counteracts all right, 

That saving grace defies. 
In thy rapacious maw 
Thou rend est every law 

That teaches to be wise. 
'Mid agonizing throes 
Of mankind's countless woes 
Thy cormorant spirit goes 

To clutch its Gorgon-prize ! 



O ye, whose checkered lives 
Are preyed by withering scorn. 
Whose hearts are rent and torn 

By lacerating gyves ! 
Implore the Lord above 
By His all-quickening love, 

Which drooping life revives, 
His erring sheep to save, 
Their punishment to waive, 



^^ 



_Ea- 





ODE TO TEMPERANCE. 

To avert the drunkard's grave 
By resurrected lives. 

VI. 

A glory to our land, 

Not by rude violence bought, 
But by the Spirit wrought, 

Who nerves each heart and hand 
With the word of truth and right, 
The sword of conquering might, 

Temptation to withstand — 
The virtue of our God, 
Who saves the race downtrod. 
As when with smiting rod, 

He laved the Desert Land ! 



1 





Jtm^$ m J^uiumm 



^^HE Winter nears, 

And lo ! with tears 

The Autumn winds are sighing 
To view the gloom 
Of Summer's bloom, 
In form disheveled lying. 




II. 
The lullaby, 
The plaintive cry 

Of mourning Nature 's heard, 
Where freighted gale 
Of sorrow's wail 

A mother's grief hath stirred. 





I FE, once bright, now 's ebbing from us, 
Its struggles all, are fruitless, vain ; 
No more does Hope's bright beacon- 
promise 
Illume the prospect of Time's plain. 

II. 
Hardly conscious, 'mersed in sorrow, 

Our years have been but griefs flood-tide ; 
Clouds have closed the radiant morrow 

When Health and Bliss would fain abide. 



III. 



Farewell, ye joys now dimmed for ever ; 

Farewell, bright days of long ago ! 
Your sunshine gleams may yet recover 

In Paradise their wonted glow. 



* 




® llm\ hv ^m$ I 



ON THE ''CONGRESSIONAL COMMISSION'' AT 
WASHINGTON, 1876-77. 



BLUSH for shame, ye sons of free- 
dom, now ! 
See crimson guilt mantling your 
country's brow ; 
Hear o'er trie earth the weird, sepulchral tone 
Which knells, alas ! Columbia's fame is gone ! 
Her virtue, honor, pride, and majesty. 
Betrayed and sold by recreant perfidy ; 
Coerced by faction of rapacious maw, 
She yields to treason, in the name of law ; 
The sovereign rights of citizen and State, 
Consigned to death by one confederate — 



I 



ij8 



>f=J. 



•==^^91^^ 



BLUSH FOR SHAME! 



119 



The Brutus of a foul conspiracy, 
Who Rome hath stabbed, but Caesar let scot- 
free. 



' 



II. 

What callous slave of despot's chafing thrall 
But felt the thong of slavery keenly gall ? 
Did gold not soothe as an emollient balm, 
And glutting spoil avail as victor s palm ? 
Yet hearts aglow with aught of patriot fire 
Will curse the knave o'er his funereal pyre, 
Nor less detest who fouled the ermine's sheen 
By leprous contact with unrighteous gain. 
And execrate, in every age and tongue. 
The recreant one who sealed a nation's doom ; 
And virtuous matrons teach their lisping babes 
To hate the fiends who made their parents 
slaves. 

III. 

Weep now, ye vanquished, in your captive 

chains ; 
Weep asMarius, bewailing Thebe's remains ; 







1 20 BL USH FOR SHAME ! 

Weep as Israel, exile on Babylon's shore ; 

Weep as David, nor cease to weep e'er more ! 

Your country's trophies pledged as coupon 
stake ; 

Your nation's honor no more inviolate ; 

Your stainless flag, revered where'er un- 
furled, 

The gibe and harlequin of the world. 

For Rapine's hordes infest the honored place 

Resplendent once with Purity's own grace ; 

Collusive Fraud receives the vowed incense, 

Where Truth was strangled in her last de- 
fence. 

Now glorious day has closed in night of 
gloom, 

Since Freedom's shrine serves but for Vir- 
tue's tomb ! 




fe.irf-^ .i ^L.-- 



J[inf$ ^viiim Jlnrinj n fi>kvm ni fi>m. 




PIRIT, still the gathering tempest, 
Break its battle-front o'erhead ; 
Marshalled see its warlike crescent, 
Charging, swift, remorseless, dread. 



II. 



Spirit, see the billows gushing, 
Cataract, storming Nature's dirge 

Unrelenting, fiercely rushing, 

Fiendlike is each mantling* surge. 



III. 



Hark ! beneath the boisterous ocean 
Craters quake with thunder's roar 

'Tis dread Terror in commotion. 

Hurling vengeance from Death's shore ! 



•e. 



an 



I 2 2 LINES WRITTEN D URING A STORM A T SEA. 
IV. 

Lord, Jehovah, mastering violence, 
Speed with grace our souls to save, 

And avert, with conquering /^2>^(^;^^^, 
The horrors of this deepening grave ! 

V. 

Pity waked Thy Father's mercies, 

When Israel crossed the Red Sea's pass ; 

Pity ope'd her saving treasures, 
When threatening, raged Tiberias : 




VI. 



More potent e'er is love than terror ; 

Then lend Thine aid, whom we implore, 
And tranquil make Thy glorious mirror. 

That we in peace may Thee adore. 







N years to come, though parted, still 
^i^ will I think of thee. 

As erst my heart-pulse started to 
greet thee lovingly ; 
Emotion inward dwelling still sanctifies thy 

name. 
Though words are vain in telling what relics 
there remain. 



No dread of Sorrow's visage thqjn wrecked 

thy radiant mien. 
Where shone the faithful image of Virtue, 

beauteous queen ; 



i rt*: ,t% 



T24 



REMINISCENCE, 



Thy soul on golden pinions then soared to 
realms above, 

Through Nature's wide dominions, commu- 
nicating love. 

III. 
Ah ! that life's halcyon morning knew naught 

of eve's decline, 
To cloud by vain sojourning a splendor so 

divine ; 
But that, in zenith glowing, it eternized thy 

name, 
The blissful prize bestowing, thy merit's 

deathless fame. 

IV 

Yet let thy soul not sorrow, recounting 
blighted joy ; 

There comes a bright to-morrow, whose 
memory doth not cloy. 

All woes and griefs effacing of Sorrow's path- 
way trod, 

A glorious life retracing in the vision of our 
God! 





1 1^ "r^.^^ teg?^ — 




l^nbntititl ®h. 




w/ 



MERICA! famed land, 

Lit up by Freedom, lustrous star, 
Inviting beacon from afar, 

Paling the tyrant's brand. 

II. 

Columbia ! — fittest name, 

Where'er the cycled earth revolves, 
Where'er the pulse of genius throbs 

To wreathe the brow of Fame. 

III. 

Than Hesper's clarion light. 

When Sol, illustrious god o'f day, 
His jealous vengeance would display. 

Thy galaxy more bright. 

127 



\\i 



JIEH 



1/ 




CENTENNIAL ODE. 



IV. 



Hail ! sacred trophied fane, 

No more may storms convulse thy peace, 
No longer sold by traitor's kiss, 

Thy law doth sovereign reign ! 



No more may fiend assail 
The aegis of our nation's might, 
The guerdon of each freeman's right- 

The Union must prevail. 

VI. 

Great Lord, dispense thy grace, 
Preserve thy noble heritage, 
Avert from it thine anger's scourge, 

Confirm it with thy peace. 



VII 



As pyramidal crown, 

Attracting all thy freeborn sons. 
Eclipsing brightest diadems. 

The immortal Washington ! 





CENTENNIAL ODE, 



129 



VIII. 



Friend of humanity, 

Intrepid in the battle's tide, 
Humbling Britain's warlike pride, 

Fabius of strategy. 

IX. 

Cato of honor he, 

Ennobling e'er the holy cause, 
Faithful above the world's applause. 

Father of his country ! 

X. 

Scion of nobility, 

While ages roll thy storied name 
Shall serve to illume Columbia's fame, 

Day-star of her destiny. 



xi. 
Thou sovereign God, we bless Thy power, 
Whose glorious name the heavens adore ; 
Pour down Thy Spirit, which we confess. 
And make Thy work our lasting bliss. 



-S- 





CENTENNIAL ODE, 



XII. 



Great Lord, reveal Thy virtuous strength ; 

Enrich us with Thy love divine ; 
Rejoice Thy peoples, prostrate bent 

In festive greeting at Thy shrine. 



XIII. 



Accept our humble offerings, 
An holocaust of praise to Thee ; 

Thy wisdom reigns from end to end, 
Thy glory circles land and sea. 



Exalt the nations Thou hast made, 
Endow them with true liberty ; 

When danger threatens enlist Thine aid — 
A tower of strength and purity. 




XIV. 




Great Lord, we ask Thy blessmg now 
To crown these tributes of Thy sphere 

Thine other gifts in time bestow, 
That we with Thee may persevere. 




CENTENNIAL ODE. 

Hail, thou paean of victory ! 

Hail, the anthem of the free ! 

All o'er the earth, with one accord, 

Let mortals praise the gracious Lord, 

And hearts exult in jubilee 

As choirs of bliss in ecstasy ! 

May peace and love rejoice all here 

Who celebrate this Freedom's year. 





'i! 






^f 



l|tttig| Y^d^ J[Wit$. 




HOUGH youth adorns thy radiant 
brow 
With its attractions rare, 
The charms thy mind and heart 
bestow 
Are more divinely fair. 



From out these founts celestial spring, 

In Hmpid, fervid flow, 
The blessings of which angels sing — 

Glory and peace below. 





THOUGH YOUTH ADORNS. 
III. 

For Grace doth raise her sacred shrine 

Where merit is confessed, 
Dispensing from that source divine 

The virtues of the blessed — 



IV. 



Benevolence, good-will to all, 

The mark of God's elect — 
Of Him whose love knows great nor small, 

But all without respect ; 



Beneficence, which ne'er denies 

The meed of charity, 
But timely aid to all supplies 

With true humanity ; 



►E. 




VI. 



Devotion pure, the mystic buoy, 
Where threatening billows roll, 

The manna sweet which naught can cloy, 
The garden of the soul ; 




THO UGH YOUTH AD ORNS. 



VII. 

And Hope, that mounts on eager wing 

Where joys eternal glow, 
As fainting stag the saving spring 

Whence living waters flow ; 



VIII. 

And Constancy, the talisman, 
By grace to mankind given, 

To compass here life's mortal span 
And gain the port of heaven. 

IX. 

These gifts of Christ's ennobling faith 
Proclaim thy fair renown ; 

Adorning life, and mastering death. 
They are a peerless crown. 








^! 



'' fxnxi Ml Wif iwj llfaiiwt$ ittif 




I. 

RAY tell me, do affections meet 
In the world beyond our own ? 
II May Friendship there her loved one 

greet 
'Neath Glory's dazzling crown? 
Or is it true that each fond heart 

Communes in social mood, 
Of weal and woe still bears a part, 
In ties of sisterhood ? 



-{F' 




Do friendships severed on earth again 

Reclaim their genial ray ? 
Freed from oppression's toil and pain, 

Still hold triumphant sway ? 




136 PRA Y TELL ME, DO AFrECTIONS MEET? 

Are kindly smiles, Affection's look, 

E'er seen in realms above, 
Or Faith's right hand, which ne'er forsook 

T' inspire ennobling love ? 

III. 
Does heart to heart as free reveal 

Each thought of love sincere ? 
Where souls no more affliction feel, 

Is friendship aught less dear? 
I wonder if where angels dwell 

The saints still know their own, 
And each bereaved heart can tell 

Its own once cherished one ? 

IV. 

If such is true, oh ! may it be 

That I, with dying voice. 
Obtain that mine may follow me 

To dwell in Paradise ; 
There friendship's love, for ever blessed, 

Shall know no parting tear, 
But, crowned with faithful happiness. 

Remain for ever dear. 




^L 



%mvi\ xtf |itl^. 



<^^ 



t^ 



i|^LL hail to the victor ! What glad- 
^nlh dening emotion 

Inspirits the hearts of all freemen 
to-day, 

The banner still waving which first their de- 
votion, 
Illumed with the halo of liberty's ray ! 



II. 



Nor vainly contended ; their hope, never fail- 
ing, 
Proved Heaven the champion defending 
their land ; 
They came forth victorious, tho' myriads as- 
sailing, 
Beleaguered as vampires Columbia's strand. 



•3* 




I^^jtrttrng mm^ Mz Jm\nr l[iig^ 



. Q(f|) EJOICING now, let's anchor weigh 

4m 



u\ 



m^ 



And brave the stormy deep ; 
Where Fortune smiles in the seeth 

ing spray, 
Let us glad vigil keep. 



II. 



Dull care committing to the winds, 

Our sorrows all behind, 
Let us regale, good trusty friends, 

With cheer for heart and mind. 



III. 
And while away, on the rolling brine. 

From other friends we roam. 
We'll tune our voice to love's sweet chime 

And think of those at home. 

139 






Nor e'er forget the loved ones gone, 
Nor e'er the paths they've trod ; 

But vow to do as they have done, 
And waft a prayer to God. 



We are united, brethren brave ; 

Our lot has made us kin — 
We have one home upon the wave 

We'll together lose or win. 




Then here's a toast to our loyal crew, 

Whatever luck befall ; 
We'll pledge anew our fealty true, 

And bid farewell to all. 




J!pal|n:t$i$, 




£!(#) AIL, vision blessed of peaceful rest 
That glows beyond the sky ! 
^y^w. When shall my soul, of thee pos- 
sessed, 
Thy glories fair descry ? 



Transcendent Hope, life's buoyant dream, 
That there doth constant reign, 

Imparting bliss, ecstatic gleam, 
That lights no more in vain ; 

III. 
But contemplates the joys of youth, 

In each sublime degree, 
The term'nal of immortal truth, 

The soul in God set free. 



APOTHEOSIS. 





Where, ravished by the higher delight 

Of Love's supernal day, 
Absorbed in vision ever bright, 

Resigns her gracious sw^ay ; 



And Confidence no more beguiles, 
'Neath Friendship's luring mien ; 

Nor more Deception's tortuous wiles 
O'er Zion's turrets seen. 



But Virtue proves her fair renown, 
Where merit's trophies shine ; 

All luminous now her fadeless crown, 
With majesty divine. 



And Glory thrills the festive hall, 
With fervor all her own ; 

Enlivened while enlivening all, 
Through Heaven's circling zone 




VIII. 



And Eloquence, of God ordained, 

Incarnate in His Word, 
Proclaims aright, with sense unfeigned. 

The triumphs of her Lord. 



Where Pathos, welling out the throne, 

As erst from Holy Rood, 
Doth liquidize each heart of stone. 

As fuses mother's blood. 




IX. 



X. 



And Love, inflaming pure desire, 
Doth bliss divine impart, 

The Paracletic mystic fire. 
Transporting mind and heart. 



XI. 



Hail ! Euge of the Saviour's voice, 

In tone benignant given. 
That bids us all with Him rejoice, 

That wings our thoughts to Heaven. 



^ u^ u ^ ii r-^ ii ^t^- 



AFO THEOSrS. 




Be thou the beacon of our way, 
Sojourning on the deep ; 

Be thou Salvation's brightening ray 
To cheer us while we weep. 





THR GAP OF DUXLOE. 



IV. 



His blessing then he did impart, 
And paid his vows divine, 

Inspiring every pilgrim heart 
To worship at his shrine. 



V. 



Now Rapture seizes cliff and dell, 

Careering to and fro ; 
The mountains quake with pregnant spell 

Thundering their weird echo. 



VI. 



And Fancy wings her trophies rare, 
Gilding their pageant crest ; 

Old Tore disports with threatening air, 
While riots Eagle's Nest. 



VII. 



Glean Dhu distils a fragrant balm 

Of incense to the skies, 
Which mounts to Heaven's mystic Lamb, 

Symbolic sacrifice 






4 



THE GAP OF DUNLOJ^. 



VIII. 



Of all the blood by martyrs shed 
For Freedom's sacred cause ; 

Nor vainly, Erin, hast thou bled 
While Heaven smiles applause, 



IX. 






Whose glory robes this vestal scene, 
As Eden's pristine bower, 

Where choirs beatic oft were seen 
To gladden twilight's hour. 



More dear than Eden, hallowed spot ! 

Where bliss Elysian glows, 
Whose mystic sheen-empurpling grot 

Doth eternize our woes, 



Unraveling the deep mystery 
Of grace and nature one. 

The faith assuring victory, 
Throusrh God's eternal Son 




^^ ^ mL^*- — 



d %tvinm Wm 




I. 

Qi ET Fortune woo the mundane throng, 
if) And votaries decoy ; 

Be 't ours to hail the festive song 
With Friendship's nobler joy — 



II. 



Where Harmony triumphant dwells, 

In unison's accord ; 
And Pathos of Affection tells, 

In Faith's endearing word ; 



III. 




And Jubal sways the choral train 

As minstrel, facile rhyme ; 
And Rapture swells the anthem's strain, 

In pitch and tone sublime ; 



X48 





Jilnn, 



SUGGESTED BY THE O'CONNELL CENTENARY 
CELEBRATION, DUBLIN, AUGUST 5, 1875. 



I. 




ET ceaseless chorus sound, 

O'er hill and verdant vale ; 
And patriot hearts rebound 
With the spirit of the Gael. 



II. 



Tis now the joyous hour 
Of a nation's jubilee, 

To exert the minstreFs power 
In the anthem of the free. 



III. 



Hurrah ! the proud refrain : 
'' The sacred rights of man/' 





m^ ^^ mur 



0' CON NELL CENTENARY CELEBRATION. 151 




Freed from oppressive reign, 
From persecuting ban. 



IV. 

Hurrah ! the cause is won, 
The cause of Faith and God 

For emancipation's boon 
Is Religion disenthralled. 

V. 

This be O'Connell's praise 
Where'er his name is told ; 

Let the mantle that he wears 
Reveal it on each fold. 



. 



VI. 

And o'er the trophy grand,* 
Be Freedom's flag unfurled, 

With aegis self command 
To awe a tyrant world. 

*The monument designed and partly executed by Foley, 
situated in Sackville Street, and solemnly dedicated on the 
occasion. 




Ixt i\$ ®um. 



WRITTEN OFF KINGSTON HARBOR, SEPTEM- 
BER, 1875. 



LORIOUS old ocean, majestically 
1^1 rolling, 

^^\ Sublime is thy wrath when mant- 
ling thy rage ; 
Thy voice is triumphant when Nature's dread 
forces. 
Their virtues exhausted, are docile in peace. 

II. 
Thy musical rapture is inspired jubilation 

Of Harmony's choirs in just symphony ; 
Thy luminous vista religious oblation — 

Winged incense of hearts in love's ecstasy ! 






154 



TO THE OCEAN. 



III. 

Great are the treasures thy bosom encloses, 
Thrice mightier than earth, of depth so 
profound ; 
The vigils thou keepest when Nature reposes 
Are trophies of homage thy trident hath 
won. 

IV. 

For ages thy vassals, subdued by thy story, 
Have served thy least wish, expressed or 
implied ; 
The breath of the Almighty, thy measure of 
glory, 
Still flatters thy billows in ebb and in tide. 



V. 

Roll on in thy grandeur, thy storms all sub- 
limer, 
While terror abysmal as cataract breaks ; 
Thy tempest-voiced chorus will sound still 
diviner 
When Nature, convulsed, to judgment 
awakes. 






bitlittntitl 



II 




LLELUIA ! a nation's hymn, 

Of praise to God, whose won- 
drous mind 
Conceives the scope and ways of 
men, 
Enduing them with grace divine ; 
Who by our fathers helping stood, 

And girt them with bright purity, 
And nerved them with heroic blood 
To strike for death or victory, 

II. 

As angel smote the mighty hosts 
Of Egypt's flower in their pride, 

And silenced Pharaoh's impious boasts 
When Israel yearned to be freed, 




CENTENNIAL. 



And through the dreary wilderness 
Did safely guide the faithful band, 

And through the Red Sea's crimson pass 
Did ope to them the Promised Land. 

III. 
Achieved we thus our liberty 

When battling for a people's right ; 
The labarum of our victory, 

''In God we trust ; let naught affright. 
So now let mystic paraclete 

Of honor, power, and glory won, 
With trophied pageant haste to greet 

The first of patriots — Washington. 

IV. 

His name illumines our temple's dome. 

His spirit does its hopes enshrine, 
His valor reared its altar-throne, 

His virtue saves it from decline. 
Lo ! empires here, bright arcs of peace. 

And kingdoms as fair emeralds set, 
Pay tribute to our nation's chief 

And hail Columbia, free and great. 




-3- 




CENTENNIAL. 



157 



^^ 



Let Freedom hence with Virtue rule, 

And, faithful to high Duty's call, 
Let Justice arm the ermine school 

Against Corruption's bribe and thrall ; 
Religion's shrines fore'er intact, 

The golden aegis of our homes 
Our nation's flag inviolate, 

Hope's beacon-light in farthest zones. 



VI. 

Vouchsafe, great Lord, whose wide do- 
main 
Embraces ages with a span, 
To exert Thy mercy's bounteous reign, 

And crown Thy work with Thy right 
hand. 
Here Wisdom speaks in divers tongues ; 

See Art and Toil with Faith combined. 
And Nature's untamed myrmidons, 

With Peace and Love, close intertwined. 





CENTENNIAL. 



VII. 



Preserve our common liberties 

From open foe and lurking wile ; 
Guard Thou our sacred destinies 

From every taint that can defile ; 
Thus, will our cause with Thine be one, 

Thus, will our hopes be crowned and 
blessed, 
In every age the paean be sung, 

And Thou immortal Lord confessed. 
* * * * ^ 

Alleluia, alleluia, let the timbrel sound. 
Alleluia, alleluia, let joyous strains resound, 
Alleluia, alleluia, intone with one accord, 
'Tis peace to the nations, 'tis glory to the 
Lord! 




m 




^^^ ' ^L,'- 






lit J)rmtliitrb'$ ^t^pinlimti* 



^ NE word of joy and love to thee, 

Dear wife ; 
Tf#^^ Though grief be mine, and bitter 
^ ^^ strife, 

Yet faithfully I think of thee, 
Of thee, my heart, my soul, my life, 

Dear wife. 

II. 

Ah ! sorely has this heart been wrung. 

Dear wife, 
And sorely has the viper stung. 
Bereaving me of thee and home, 
Of home, my dearest earthly boon. 

Dear wife. 



l60 THE DRUNKARUS REPENTANCE. 
III. 

In this sad plight and threatening doom, 

Dear wife, 
As prodigal son I sigh for home, 
And thee, its faithful, slighted one, 
Who still endears it as my own 

Dear wife. 

IV. 

Oh ! look with kindness still on me, 

Dear wife ; 

Though faithless oft, no more I'll be 

A worthless reprobate to thee, 

A demon, fiend, and refugee, 

Dear wife 



V. 

Religion's saving voice I've heard. 

Dear wife, 
And learned to hope the blessed reward 
Through faith in God's forgiving word. 
In God and thee, my own adored 

Dear wife. 




THE DR UNKARU S RE PEN TANCE. 1 6 1 
VI. 

The Saviour's grace is ne'er outspent, 

Dear wife ; 

Though man, on evil courses bent, 

Doth seldom rise true penitent 

Like Saul, to Ananias sent, 

Dear wife. 

VII. 

Though wide the road I've giddy walked, 

Dear wife, 
When thousands daily with me stalked. 
And thousands lost their hold and balked, 
And balked to ruin nor deemed it aught, 

Dear wife, 
< 

VIII. 

Now mine the road so surely given. 

Dear wife. 
To sinners contrite and forgiven, 
Renouncing e'er the accursed leaven 
That separates from thee and heaven, 

Dear wife. 



-3- 




pl^m^ltl 



SAW my friend from day to day, 
And greeted him as wont of 

yore, 
Ere, tempted by forbidden lore, 
He bartered manhood's pride away. 

II. 

Ne'er thought I then the baseness his 
Which black ingratitude conceives. 
With which the charlatan deceives — 

The baseness of a caitiff's idss. 

III. 
As when, corrupt, for lucre's sake, 
Vile Judas sold his gracious Lord, 
Betraying whom he first adored, 

For thirty pence his weal to stake ! 

162 



-3- 



Thou deicide, most impious name, 
EnrichedVith blood, another prize 
Doth now thy baseness eternize 

Where fiends thy perfidy proclaim. 



V. 



As vainly wilt thou trophies raise 
Whom crime degrades as Judas fell : 
Thy monument is raised in Hell — 

Its orgies be thy notes of praise. 



VI. 



For, blind to Heaven's supreme command 
To love thy neighbor as thyself, 
Thou hatedst him for sordid pelf, 

And art accursed in every land. 




^Bssaasssass^ 



5^:^ 




nj n 




STAY thy hand, nor dare presume 
m\'j To avenge thee of unpitying fate. 




While Nature dons her robes of 

^^ bloom, 

Wilt thou bereave her pageant state ? 
While light and love their bliss impart 
Oh ! let their spell rejoice thy heart. 

II. 
Know'st thou no Lord to praise, to bless ? 

Hast thou no sprite with wings to soar 
Celestial to the realms of rest, 

Where Cherubim profound adore 
The Maker all who crowns with bliss 

Eternal who His name confess ? 

164 





TO A SUICIDE. 



III. 



165 



Hast thou no voice to tune the lyre, 
So faithful in each ministering strain 

To wake the torpid soul, to inspire 
Pure longings for Emmanuel's reign ; 

Whose word is full-toned harmony, 

Peace to the heart, and victory ? 

IV. 

This guerdon is to thee and those 

Whose faith and hope bide undismayed, 

Despite the thousand pangs and woes 
By which dread Hell, with hosts arrayed. 

Would fain destroy thy fair renown 

And rob thee of the victor's crown. 

V. 

Then praise the Lord, nor impious thought 
Invade the sanctuary of His love ; 

Remember that with mercy fraught 
Are all His ways, which ample prove 

E'en thee His child and favored heir. 

If thou wilt hope and not despair. 



►{3. 



\/ 



]|i$nrgBmti$. 



I. 

AIN i-s life; we're here to languish 
m On the surface of its tide ; 

Health and beauty end in anguish, 
The joys of earth are but short- 
lived. 



IL 

Fitful gliding down the ocean 

To eternity's bleak shore, 
Life is dreary, sorrow's portion. 

Where hope inspires the heart, no more. 

III. 
But feeling hath its own devotion 

Far beyond time's limpid flow, 
For Heaven crowns each blessed emotion 

With its own perennial glow. 

169 



►^- 



WHEN SHALL WE MEET AGAIN? 
IV. 

The heart that's firm and true 
Knows not to change with time, 

But, pure as Heaven's dew, 
Bides faithful in each clime. 



If we do meet again 
Ere youth has frittered by, 

May our hope as bright remain 
'Neath virtue's sunlit sky. 

VI. 

If we do meet again, 

And life's mean course is run. 
May the fruits then garnered in 

Redound to honor's sum. 

VII. 

If we do meet again 

When our locks are hoar with age, 
May the heart's outpouring then 

A glorious reign presage. 



►E- 




m^^i^^4^:<^mfi^;^m 



littjmg^ !f I J)t0ir. 



This poem is due to an authentic narration of the death of 
a noted baritone, reported in the columns of the New York 
World oi February 8, 1878. I append the article. It affected 
me deeply, and its touching pathos may still be shared by the 
sympathetic heart, despite the time elapsed since the first pub- 
lication. 

"SINGING, HE DIED. 

'• THE LAST MOMENTS OF FRANK BARTLETT, THE BARITONE. 

" The circumstances attending the death of Frank Bartlett 
the well-known church baritone, who died on Saturday last, 
were particularly affecting and dramatic. He had been suf- 
fering for some days from pneumonia, and he had endured 
great pain. On the evening of his death he was much better, 
and his friend, Mr. Coyle, went into Bartlett's room and found 
him looking much worse than when he had left him some lit- 
tle time before. 

"Fearing the worst, he sent for Dr. J. B. Gilbert, who 
found that Mr. Bartlett's bronchial tubes and air-cells were 
filling up with a watery secretion, interfering with the ab- 
sorption of oxygen and the exhalation of carbonic acid thus 
rendering him unconscious. Stimulants were given in large 
quantities, and Dr. Guernsey was sent for, and expressed 
the opinion that the patient had not more than fifteen minutes 
to live. He rallied, however, and recognized many of his 
musical friends who were present. 

173 




SINGING, HE DIED. 




" Dr. Gilbert finding that the stimulants were not having 
much effect, suggested that some music should be played. 
Mr. Post accordingly sat down to the piano and began to play 
one of Mr. Bartlett's favorite hymns, the tears meanwhile run- 
ning down his cheeks. In a minute or two the company 
were startled to see the dying man rise in his bed and with 
great effor* sing to Post's accompaniment. ' He sang,' says 
Dr. Gilbert, ' better than ever before, three or four hymns, his 
listeners looking on in amazement.' 

" In a few minutes he sank back exhausted and fell into a 
stupor, from which he was again aroused at the sound of the 
piano, the familiar music proving more potent than all the 
other stimulants combined. Again he attempted to sing, but 
the water which had accumulated in the bronchial tubes over- 
flowed into the wind-pipe, causing dropsy of the lungs or 
strangulation, and the singer fell back dead." 




SING for me the air I loved 

When youth and strength were 
mine; 
That air, which oft my solace proved, 
Will soothe my life's decline. 



II. 



'Twill lift my soul from earthly scenes, 

'Twill ease my spirit's pain, 
And wing my thoughts as treasured dreams 

To childhood's days again. 





SINGING, HE DIED. 



The chord was struck of long ago, 
The chord whose tone was love, 

And minstrel-vision seemed aglow, 
Illumined from above. 



The quickening thrill each sense improves 

As lightning in the sky, 
And life's first love to concert moves 

A minstrel's agony. 



The vista of a brighter clime, 
Lit up by happier years, 

Responsive to the inspiring chime. 
Suffuses him in tears. 



And as the strain's soft notes advanced, 

The pathos deeper stirred. 
Till lo ! his spirit, all entranced, 

Accompanying is heard. 




176 



^^■^L.-^ 



SINGING, HE DIED. 



No happier strain in cadence broke, 

No sweeter melody ; 
The harmony which thence awoke 

Seemed angel symphony. 



VIII 



Diviner toned the minstrel's breath 
As he drew near to part ; 

For sacred song inspires at death 
The music-loving heart. 



With mind aglow and tears aflow, 
With soul to rapture moved, 

The bard invokes the Lord of hosts 
W^hom fondly first he loved. 



No effort knew the minstrel's will 
Love's genial spark had fired, 

For Heaven gave the impassioned thrill 
Its kindred pulse inspired. 





SINGING, BE DIED. 



XI. 



As morn advances forth to noon, 

To zenith's dazzling glow ; 
As Sol recedes in festive bloom, 

Elsewhere his charms to show ; 

XII. 

As petals, wafted from their stem 

By wind or fitful shower, 
Still bear their treasured pods with them 

To garner Flora's bower, 

XIII. 

The minstrel's raptured soul's refrain 

Heralded coming joy 
Where bliss supernal ever reigns. 

Unleavened by alloy ; 



XIV. 



Where anthem's swell, a concert grand, 

Transports with jubilee, 
And vision of God's favored land 

Dissolves in ecstasy. 




yit^nt. 




OW, Death our home hath shaded, 
Our cheeks are bathed with tears 
For a rose hath drooped and faded 
Our joy these many years, 
And proved a blissful treasure 
When other joys were gone, 
Imparting sunshine's pleasure 
To hearts all sad and lone. 
But kindlier skies await it, 

And richer robe of bloom. 
Where love and grace translate it 

Beyond the reach of gloom. 
There angels hie to meet it, 
Resplendent in their sheen. 





i8o 




ELEGIAC. 

And hail, as erst they greet it, 

The fragrance of their queen : 
The virtuous choice aroma 

Of virginal purity, 
The dower of signal honor 

'Mid saintly galaxy. 
And Heaven smiles benignly, 

There blooms a rose so fair, 
Where flowers all grow divinely 

Which may with it compare. 
What though our rose seems faded ? 

'Tis fated not to die ; 
For God hath surely made it 

To bloom beyond the sky. 




Sxmbnlm^tii. 



ONTENTMENT is the 
seek 
In every age and clime, 
For it inspires a spirit meek 
That makes the soul sublime. 



II. 
It recks not here contention's strife, 

But virtue's mean pursues, 
That conquers all the ills of life 

Which man himself subdues. 



^m^^ttmi 




M\t Txttq txl Ir^Innb. 



TO CHARLES STEWART PARNELL, THE ILL US- 
TRIO US CHA MP ION OF HIS CO UN TR V S CA USE 
AGAINST ENGLAND'S VILE, EXTERMINATING 
CODE, AND THE EQUALLY BARBAROUS LEGIS- 
LA TION OF GLADSTONE'S LEGERDEMAIN GO V- 
ERNMENT. 



'CCURSED be the minions of vile 

usurpation 

Who riot and revel on Erin's fair 

strand, 

Who live but for rapine, to despoil a nation, 

And propagate terror with tyranny's 

brand. 

X83 



-E^-,^ 



i^?-^Ef=- 



^— ^N»« 



184 



THE VOICE OF IRELAND. 



II. 

Behold the rude vulture, with talons dis- 
tended, 
How ruthless he clutches the choice of 
the fold ! 
'Tis thus the rude Saxon on Erin descended, 
And preyed on her altars, her lands, and 
her gold. 



III. 
Lo ! Freedom shrieks loud in wild tribula- 
tion. 
Her shrine unpolluted by vampires o'er- 
thrown ; 
Religion breathes low in mute consternation 
To view the dread orgies by foeman be- 
gun ! 



No more of the glories that crowned the 
past ages. 
When Peace boasted triumphs in science 
and in song ; 





^^ i^^r 



THE VOICE OF IRELAND. 



i«5 



No more of the trophies decreed but to 
sages 
Victorious for ever in combating wrong. 



But Erin, oh! Erin, though sorrow sur- 
rounds thee. 
And Britain's fell legions thy valleys pro- 
fane. 

Thy virtue's bright sheen as a diadem crowns 
thee, 

Thy faith and thy hope still unconquered re- 
main ! 



VI. 

Let Saxon rejoice in godless pollution 

That knows but dishonor and perfidy's 
shame ; 
Soon, soon comes the day of just retribution. 
When the nations shall rise to honor thy 
name; 



1 86 



i ^^ '^^ • ^ — 



T//£ VOICE OF IRELAND. 






When Freedom exultant, on Victory's pinion, 
Shall hie to her throne on thy fair emerald 
shore, 
Proclaiming, throughout her reconquered do; 
minion. 
That Tyranny's lordlings shall curse thee 
no more. 

VIII. 

For Heaven hath heard the voice of thy 
wailing. 
Its vengeance hath smitten that cormorant 
horde, 

And raised up a David, with virtue prevail- 
ing, 

To slay thy Goliah where its God is adored. 



\ 



Then faithful abiding, brave champion of 
Erin, 
Still fight the good fight that endears thee 
to Fame. 




"*"^^^^ 



THE VOICE OF IRELAND. 



187 



Thy country applauds thee, her green ban- 
ner rearing ; 
Generations unborn will yet hallow thy 
name, 




X. 

And Glory, admiring, accord thee choice 
honor, 
The fairest, the brightest that patriot e'er 
won. 
Emblazoning thy name on humanity's banner 
With the laurel-crowned wreath of a fa- 
vorite son. 







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